School Break
by QuickSilverFox3
Summary: Seamus invites Dean to his house during a break from Hogwarts, unaware of the effect his own mad and magical family will have on Dean. But maybe this will be the push they need to confess their feelings for each other?


**Title: School Break**  
 **Word Count: 2467**  
 **School: Durmstrang**  
 **Theme: Hogwarts**  
 **Prompt: Magical Creatures (Main), Convoluted (Extra), Purple (Extra)**  
 **Year: Second Year**

° ∆ - ••• - ∆ °° ∆ - ••• - ∆ °

"Are you sure this is alright?" Dean asked for what felt like the hundredth time, wiping his sweating hands on his trousers and tugged the seatbelt tighter.  
"My Mam's gonna love yah. Stop worrying, it's fine. Do yah some good to see the rest o' the Wizarding World outside Hogwarts," Seamus answered with a grin, squeezing Dean's hand once in comfort. Even that small touch wasn't enough, but he refrained from acting on his urges to hold Dean's hand until the other boy stopped worrying. It wouldn't be fair, wouldn't be right to just come out with this tangled knot of feelings hiding in his chest. How did you even phrase a thing like that?

'Hey Dean, I know I offered for you to come down and stay with my family while your house is getting repaired, so you don't have to sleep on the floor at a relative's house, but I also have a massive crush on you and would like to go out sometime as more than friends?'  
Madness, absolute and complete madness.

"You good there Seamus?"  
Dean's voice dragged his thoughts out the mire they were slowly sinking into and he turned to his friend with a wide grin.  
"Yeah I'm fine, just looking forward to being off this plane."  
Dean chuckled, the sound sparking fireworks in the pit of Seamus' stomach.  
"I can imagine. It's a bit weird being on a plane after all of-" Dean waved his hand vaguely as if that one gesture could encompass all of the weird and wonderful magical happenings of the past year.  
"At least you're not full," Seamus laughed, slipping into the same vague code that the usually adopted in the non-magical world, "One of m'cousins, he thought I was joking. Had to drag him onto the plane at the end, people thought he was mad."  
Dean looked at him, face perfectly poised and serious before they collapsed into fits of barely stifled giggles, Seamus' face buried into Dean's shoulder and fingers intertwined.

"Seamus, m'lad!"  
"Uncle Cassidy!"  
Seamus was pulled into a tight hug by the man, beard itching against his face, bag crushed between them.  
"And this must be Dean!"  
Dean barely had time to glance at Seamus before he was pulled into a rib creakingly tight hug. His Uncle Cassidy released the surprised boy, hands still holding Dean upright and looked him up and down appraisingly.  
"You picked a good 'un Seamus!" The man announced, his loud booming voice drawing curious looks and barely concealed grins from the passer-by's.  
"Uncle Cassidy!" Seamus hissed, feeling his face flush bright red, ears burning as his uncle chuckled, flapping a hand at him.  
"This your first time outside of that school of yours and that bit in London?" His uncle asked, scooping up the suitcases in each hand and beginning to walk towards the exit of the airport.  
Seamus was having to almost jog to keep up with his uncle, but Dean was having no such bother, occasionally glancing sideways to check if Seamus was still there, the worry on his face melting away with each confirming glance.  
"Yes it is. Seamus didn't really say much, just that I would want to bring my art stuff."  
"An artist! Great! Ireland is the most beautiful country in the world, you're in for a treat."

The early morning air was cool on their skin as they excited the airport, feet clunking on the pavement as the sound of car horns blaring mixed with the usual chatter and bustle of large crowds of people.  
"Here."  
A piece of bread, the edges rough, was pressed into Seamus' hands and he tucked into his pocket, seeing Dean tuck it away after a couple of seconds of hesitation, eyes following Seamus' every move.  
"Cousin Seamus!"  
"Cousin Fergus, cousin Moira," Seamus greeted, hearing his accent thicken the further into his home country he got. His cousins pushed themselves off the wall they had been leaning on, taking the suitcases from Cassidy and pushing them through the doorway which hadn't been there only a few seconds prior.  
"This Dean then?" Moira asked, immediately stamping on Fergus' foot the second the man tried to open his mouth.  
"Aye, he's an artist," Cassidy announced proudly, steering Seamus and Dean ahead of him, shielding them from the steady thrum of the crowd.  
"It's nice to meet you," Dean said politely, and Seamus' heart melted. He wasn't going to survive the next few days.  
"He's always had good taste," Moira said to Cassidy with an affirming nod, gesturing for Dean to walk through the doorway.  
"Come on," Seamus said, grabbing hold of Dean and pulling the other boy through the doorway, ignoring the coo from Moira as he did so.

"Have you got a big family then?" Dean asked as they exited into the crisp, clean air of the countryside. Birds swooped high overhead and the faint sound of cowbells carried on the wind.  
"It's a bit of a mess to be honest," Seamus said, idly chewing on a thumbnail as he thought.  
"It's me Mam's side we're staying with. They're all magic pretty much, but the exact relationship gets a bit foggy after a while. The family tree's a mess, so it's cousins, uncles and aunties."  
"It's a strange how you've got a convoluted family tree and I've just got a straight line," Dean laughed and Seamus became hyper aware of the hand still held in his, of the steady pressure of fingers curled around his. The universe was actively trying to kill him.

"What was the bread for?" Dean asked after a few moments of silent walking down the narrow path, their shoulders brushing as the hedges rose up over their heads.  
"Oh, it's to stop the fae from carrying you off. They haven't been proved to real or not yet, but there's no point in taking chances."  
Dean looked at Seamus, evaluating if he was joking or not before shrugging.  
"Very different from Hogwarts then."  
"Oh yeah."

"Here's my son!"  
Seamus barely had time to yelp before he was dragged into a hug, Dean right alongside him, his mother cooing into the top of his hair in rapid fire Gaelic. It took a few moments for his brain to kick in, distracted by the press of Dean so close to him once again, but Seamus felt his face heat up once again.  
"Mam!" He yowled, voice muffled, wrapping his arms around her back nevertheless as she relented, stepping away from the pair and cupping their faces in her hands.  
"Such a lovely pair you make," she said, rubbing Seamus' jawline with a calloused thumb, "Go say hi to Granny now. It's lovely to see you again Dean!"

Seamus grumbled nonsensical words at her, his mother laughing and ruffling his hair before she returned to the front garden, trowel in hand.  
"So far your family seems lovely," Dean offered, using his extra few inches of height to smooth down the unruly mess Seamus' mother had left, "Is Cassidy her brother?"  
"Cassidy, he's..." Seamus' mouth twisted as he thought, "He's not exactly related to me. He's my mother's brother's wife's second cousin best friend since they were little. So, Uncle."  
Dean shook his head, shoulders shaking from barely stifled giggles.  
"So really convoluted then."  
"Yep. Come on," Seamus grabbed Dean's hand, fingers trembling ever so slightly as he did so, "let's go meet the rest of my folks."

° ∆ - ••• - ∆ °° ∆ - ••• - ∆ °

It had a whirlwind few hours of red or dark hair, freckled faces and the same smiles that Seamus' had, all wide and somehow loud and inviting, before Dean collapsed onto the bed in the small room he and Seamus would be sharing.  
"Sorry," Seamus said, the bed dipping next to Dean's head before he turned his face to breath and was greeted through half opened eyes into a sea of purple.  
Dean blinked in surprise, the wheels in his head turning. Cassidy wearing a blue bandanna, Moira in an all green outfit, Fergus matching in brown, Seamus' mother in light yellow.  
"Is everyone colour coded in your family?"  
Seamus laughed, the sound making Dean's stomach flip, butterflies fluttering through his veins.  
"Pretty much, it makes arguments easier."  
"Why purple?"  
Seamus shrugged, the motion more felt due to their proximity than seen.  
"It was free at the time, so yeah, purple."  
"I think purple would look good on you."  
Dean felt his cheeks heat, thanking every god listening for his dark skin so it was hidden compared to the fire that erupted in Seamus' cheeks.  
He opened his mouth, mind racing for something, anything else to say. He couldn't let Seamus know, it would ruin their friendship.  
"Boys! Tea!"

They both jumped, startled out of this strange teetering position on everything they were used to and the strange unknown future.  
"We should-"  
"Y-yeah."

Dean moved down the stairs behind Seamus, his gaze burning a hole into the back of the other boy's head, but he couldn't look away. His mouth was dry, palms sweating, a strange rushing noise in his ears. Back at Hogwarts every had seemed simple, linear and now? In this strange open world filled with superstitions made flesh and old tales that their roots in fact, everything had shifted imperceptibly sideways, and Dean was falling hard and fast.

"Isn't it lovely that Seamus has brought home an artist to meet the family!"  
Seamus sunk further down into his chair, praying for some miracle to rescue him from this hell of his own making. His family, accepting as they were, had looked at Seamus bringing home a friend for a few days, added his coming out last summer into the equation, and had collectively grabbed hold of the wrong end of the broomstick. He was going to die, and Seamus was going to ensure that the words 'My family did this' were engraved on his tombstone large enough for all of Ireland to see.  
"Purple is the colour of artist," an older woman seated a few seats down added sagely, her bracelets clanking together as she passed a tray to her silent wife, the woman's eyes wide and brown, wet hair plastered to her face, "It was foretold."  
"Aunt Saoirse is my mam's mother's best friend's sister's niece. Tha's her wife Helga. She's a selkie from up near Norway-Scotland area," Seamus whispered, watching Dean's eyes grow momentarily wide before he greeted them both with a winning smile, both women soon melting under the force of that look. If Seamus confessed and this went awry, he was never going to hear the end of it.

"And Seamus hadn't even prepared the poor lad! Walking around like the Gentle Folk aren't going to notice," a young adult chided around a mouthful of food, hair held in place atop their head with a few carefully placed forks, skilfully avoiding the swipe of their mother at this blatant disregard of manners.  
"Cousin Kerry, their mother married my uncle on my mother's father's side."  
"For shame Seamus, the Wild Hunt have been active recently, dark times are ahead and you let the sweet boy walk around like it's nothing," another man called, pausing in his quest to steal as many roast potatoes from his twin's plate as possible.  
"Uncle Brogan, man who's losing his food is Uncle Eamon. Great grandfather's grandchildren from his second marriage on my mother's, mother's side."

Dean nodded next to him, slowly transitioning from eating his food to shifting it around his plate, a warning sign to Seamus.  
"Can we be excused Granny? I wanted to show Dean the lake?"  
Any calls were swiftly muffled under the eagle eyes and heavy hands of the adults as the tiny old woman in the chair at the head of her table nodded, movement sending a few patchwork blankets crashing onto the floor. The resulting scramble to help gave the two boys the perfect cover to run out of the backdoor, Seamus depositing their plates next to the sink as they passed, and then they were free.

"I am sorry, I should've warned you about them."  
"Honest mate, it's no problem, they all seem lovely," Dean soothed, stretching out to squeeze Seamus' hand, before he turned to survey the skyline, the sky burnt red as the sun began to slowly dip behind the horizon.  
"Uh, the lake's this way," Seamus stuttered after a few seconds of peaceful silence, tugging Dean down the overgrown path through the already towering bushes as flowers and vegetables fought to establish dominance over the unrelenting press of Mother Nature.  
"I mean, it's different to Hogwarts. But it's good different. I want to see the rest of the magical world Seamus, I want to see how America matches up to what I know and see what's different."  
Seamus grinned at the enthusiasm in Dean's voice, his heart leaping at the passion this quest had inspired in his friend and pushed down the black voice inside him that whispered Dean would leave him for this passion.  
"And it's not just the landscapes or the culture, the magical creatures. You have an aunt who's a selkie, we have protection from the Gentle Folk, I just-" Dean faltered for a moment as they crested the hill and gazed down at the lake, fire rippling across its surface as a few merfolk dived back below the waves.  
"You want to see more," Seamus stated.  
"And I want you there with me."

Seamus stared.

Dean's face was coloured with a faint tint of red, the other boy not quite meeting his gaze as he continued, talking more to the lake.  
"I can't imagine a future without you. I don't want one without you."  
"I don't want to be without you either Dean," Seamus managed to stammer out, heart loud in his ears. Was this it?  
"Like as more than just a friend, I can't hide it, it wouldn't be fair and you've opened your home to me and introduced me to your family and I just-"  
Seamus darted forward and kissed Dean on the corner of the mouth, movement and action shocking the taller boy to turn his head fully towards Seamus.  
"I want to be in your life as more than a friend, more like a boyfriend yeah?" Seamus managed, raising his chin to gauge Dean's reaction as the other boy grinned and nodded, bending down to swiftly brush his lips across Seamus' once more.  
"People have got bets riding on this at school you know," Seamus added, making his voice light and conversational as he did so.  
Dean let out a quiet noise of agreement, shaking his head before he caught Seamus' eye, the pair breaking down into fits of laughter once again.

Who could have known a break from school and some different wizarding culture was all they needed?


End file.
